E Deus Disse a Caim

And God said to Cain (E Dio Disse a Caino) is directed by Antonio Margheriti, who also co-writes the screenplay with Giovanni Addessi. It stars Klaus Kinski, Peter Carsten, Marcella Michelangeli, Guido Lollobrigida and Antonio Cantafora. Music is by Carlo Savina and cinematography by Riccardo Pallottini and Luciano Trasatti.

When Gary Hamilton (Kinski) receives a pardon from his sentence at a prison work camp, he has only one thing on his mind; revenge on those responsible for his unfair incarceration.

A ghost returns and he'll have, he'll have only one desire in his heart, only one thirst: Revenge.

How wonderful, a Spaghetti Western/horror hybrid with scary Kinski as an avenging angel good guy! For the first 30 minutes the film looks to be building up a head of steam for a standardised Spaghetti Western, but things shift once Hamilton approaches town and night begins to fall. From here the film plays out as a Gothic horror involving Western characters, resplendent with big creepy mansion set in a shifty looking town that is cloaked in murky moonlight.

The whole town teeters on the edge of panic as they know who is coming to visit on this dark night. Atmosphere is tightly coiled as things move in the shadows, windows blow open, strange sounds emanate on the impending storm, and the stench of death is everywhere. A bell tolls ominously, birds flee the vicinity, all while Hamilton moves about the town with deadly silence, even using a network of catacombs under the town that were left over from an aged Indian cemetery.

The production value isn't high, but Margheriti maximises what is at his disposal to great ends. The sound effects work is simply terrific, with the shrill of the birds and the dripping water in the caverns playing a tune being particularly striking. There's inventive deaths, sublime scenes (love that rider less horse sequence and the Orson Welles mirror homage) and Kinski being ace as a ghoulish phantom taking a string from the bow of the Count of Monte Cristo.

It's also great to find that Margheriti and Addessi give strength to the picture by way of psychological smarts within the characterisations. This is not merely a spooky revenge story, a chance to pile the bodies up, there is substance to the main players, their motives and means, their frailties and family fractures brutally laid bare. The dialogue is sometimes naff, the cliché's of Spaghetti Westerns rife, and of course not all the visual effects work like they should, but this is one moody and memorable movie that is well worth seeking out if you can see a decent enough print of it. 8/10

Antonio Margheriti's "E Dio Disse A Caino" aka. "And God Said To Cain" is a very dark and excellent Spaghetti Western with a great leading performance by Klaus Kinski in an untypical role. Kinski, who was usually typecast as a crazy and/or extremely cold-blooded villain plays the (anti)hero in this, an innocent victim, who becomes a merciless avenger.

Innocently imprisoned, Gary Hamilton (Kinski) is pardoned after 10 years of heavy labor in a stone pit in the desert. After loosing ten years of his life for a crime he did not commit, Gary only has one thought on his mind - to take bloody, pitiless revenge on those responsible for the crime he was charged for and who blamed him for a crime they committed.

Klaus Kinski (once again) delivers an excellent performance in the lead, and although the role of Gary Hamilton is unusual for Kinski, I could hardly imagine anybody else to fit in this role as perfectly as he does. Peter Carsten also does a very good job as the villainous Acombar, and the supporting cast contains Gino Lollobrigida, who fits into his role as one of Acombar's sidekicks very well, and beautiful Marcella Michelangeli, who is lovely to look at and who also plays her role well (allthough it did not require a lot of acting). The movie has a lot of horror influences and the atmosphere in "And God Said To Cain" is a very dark one, and resembles the atmosphere of a Horror flick at times (unsurprisingly, since director Margheriti is best-known for his horror movies). The score by Carlo Savino is very good, it mixes the Spaghetti Western sound with a sound that resembles the soundtrack of Thrillers and Horror movies. Furthermore, the score contains a stylish, chanted gospel-style song in the beginning. I usually prefer soundtracks without singing in Spaghetti Westerns, but I have to say that this one fits very well in the opening scene in the desert prison. The cinematography is also very good and quite original, as it underlines the dark atmosphere and intensifies the suspense.

"And God Said To Cain" is an excellent, dark and very suspenseful Spaghetti Western that I highly recommend. Spaghetti Western and/or Kinski fans can't afford to miss this.

After enduring ten years of hard labor for a crime he did not commit, Gary Hamilton (Klaus Kinski) is given a a presidential pardon (preposterous, but who cares?) and is let out of prison. After ten years of shoveling and smashing rocks in the hot sun there is only one thing on his mind, revenge. Revenge on Acombar, the man who framed him. Gary soon finds out that this same man is now the wealthiest land baron in the territory and is also sleeping with his wife. Gary purchases a rifle and (with what seems to be a never ending supply of bullets) sets out to extract his revenge on Acombar. But before Gary can get to him he must face 30 of Acombar's bodyguards during a conveniently well timed tornado at night.

Antonio Margheriti (better known as Anthony Dawson or Anthony S. Dawson) returns to his horror roots to direct this suspenseful revenge story. The movie has some fabulous atmosphere. The character of Gary Hamilton is treated as a supernatural by the villains. Wind picks up whenever he appears, animals make strange noises when his name is uttered and his arrival is signified by a threatening Tornando. This all adds to the horror element of the movie (also the fact that a large portion of the film takes place at night).

It's a good little western with a few atypical twists. However it doesn't all go off without a hitch. There is a very nasty pacing problem during the 45 minute storm segment where Hamilton hunts down each and every one of the villain's gunmen. Hamilton does this by firing from windows then ducking before the return fire reaches him and by firing his rifle from holes on the ground when down in a tunnel system under the town's buildings. This goes on for quite awhile. I'm sure you can agree with me when I say there is nothing more dull than some prick hiding behind a barrel and randomly picking off people every now and again. I Hate to see that in westerns. It's alright if it's used once or twice but when several action scenes are devoted to it for long periods of time something is certainly wrong.

In it's defense there are some really creative death scenes, an interesting use of a church bell as a weapon is of particular mention, however there is a severe lack of them overall. Too bad. I also thought that the virtually non-existent tornado should have played a larger role in the film as opposed to making a few cameo appearances as a gust of wind every now and again (they had a nice dust devil effect in "Matalo!". Why not here?). Perhaps the twister could have taken out a few baddies? mmm? Just a thought.

The cast is a good one. Kinski stars as the anti-hero Hamilton. It's almost a sick joke casting Klaus Kinski as a hero. The famous actor played mostly villains throughout his entire career and I have yet to see him playing a good guy in a spaghetti western. I suppose he liked the role because he would usually snag a part where he was on set for as little time as possible for as much money as possible.

Peter Carsten as the greedy Acombar does his job as a slimy no good and the pretty Marcella Michelangeli is unforgivable as Hamilton's cheating wife.

Composer Carlo Savina makes a good soundtrack here. I really like the title theme.

Despite it's faults And God Said To Cain is a welcome addition to any spaghetti western library and worth picking up.

This is a really cool film. It is directed by Italian horror director Antonio Margheriti, and the Euro-horror influence really shows. Margheriti really creates some atmosphere with this one.

This is a very dark tale of revenge. There's nothing even remotely resembling comedy in this film. It's the tale of a man named Gary Hamilton, who was betrayed and framed for a crime he didn't commit. It's time for him to wreak havoc on those that wronged him. The bulk of the story is told with great style on a dark night with the wind howling. Hamilton has his enemies so terrified that just the mention of his name seems to make windows fly open, or birds start screeching. He stalks and outwits his enemies under cover of darkness and dust, using their own fear against them. It's a very intense, uncomplicated story.

Klaus Kinski is excellent in this film. He is well-suited for the role of Hamilton. He has a look that can be sympathetic and frightening at the same time. I would have liked to see what this movie would be like if Kinski had dubbed his own voice. If they were worried about his accent, they could have just given his character a German name. I think it would have made the role even better.

Carlo Savina comes through with a very good score for this movie. The opening theme is one of the most memorable of all the spaghetti western songs with vocals. The use of organ music adds to the Gothic atmosphere, and there is a great recurring trumpet melody that stays in your mind long after the movie is over.

This Euro-western is one that should not be overlooked. It deserves more recognition than it gets, and it's a must-see for spaghetti western fans.

This is a story of Gary Hamilton (Kinski) set up for a crime he did not commit. After 10 years he is freed on behalf of a Presidential pardon. What is nice this is a full performance on behalf of Kinski which is quit uncommon. Kinski does a fabulous job in this one. It shows how greed took over a rancher who decided to steal the goldmine that Gary Hamilton had in order to make a better life for himself and for his family by ruining the life of another. Antonio Margheriti does a great job on this one. He has been slandered for years on how bad the night scenes are on this film. Well if guys like Weisser and other reviewers used common sense maybe they could have figured the film video which they viewed came from bad stock. I have seen the DVD version which all the night scenes were cleaned up and what do you know it is clear as day!!!

The movie overall had great performances on behalf of Kinski and Peter Carsten(Ackbar) Well Mr. Weisser check out on ebay and get the cleaned up copy of this movie and it will not be frustrating anymore. Maybe then people will give the film a descent review.